Re: MOTHERBOARD CHANGE, XP RUNNING BUT ALL INSTALLS CORRUPT? EVEN FRESH XP INSTALL..

<taicandraw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:1176570548.677010.264480@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hello there,

Ok, I've got a pretty annoying problem that is a complete first. Here
it is..

I have been given some new parts that have been combined with my old
ones to beef my system up a bit.

It is a P4 3Ghz Socket 478 on an ECS SF2 SiS 661FX chipset
with: 2 x 512 PC2700 sticks of RAM combined with my Winfast Titanium
Ti200 and my previous hard drive.

First of all, I created a new hardware profile on my original HD and
within that profile deleted all hardware settings including
motherboard chipset, IDE controller, ethernet, graphics controller and
graphics card so that I could attempt to just install all the new
hardware into my version of XP. Obviously this was to avoid a totally
fresh re-install which I was prepared to do if the swap didn't work.

Switch on.. everything seems fine. Load up profile 2, all new hardware
is installed from the drivers I had prepared in a temp directory on my
hard drive.


I'm surprised it booted at all.

Normally, and assuming a retail license (many factory-installed OEM installations are BIOS-locked to a specific chipset and therefore are *not* transferable to a new motherboard - check yours before starting), unless the new motherboard is virtually identical (same chipset, same IDE controllers, same BIOS version, etc.) to the one on which the WinXP installation was originally performed, you'll need to perform a repair (a.k.a. in-place upgrade) installation, at the very least:

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q315341

Changing a Motherboard or Moving a Hard Drive with WinXP Installed
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html

The "why" is quite simple, really, and has nothing to do with licensing issues, per se; it's a purely technical matter, at this point. You've pulled the proverbial hardware rug out from under the OS. (If you don't like -- or get -- the rug analogy, think of it as picking up a Cape Cod style home and then setting it down onto a Ranch style foundation. It just isn't going to fit.) WinXP, like Win2K before it, is not nearly as "promiscuous" as Win9x when it comes to accepting any old hardware configuration you throw at it. On installation it "tailors" itself to the specific hardware found. This is one of the reasons that the entire WinNT/2K/XP OS family is so much more stable than the Win9x group.

As always when undertaking such a significant change, back up any important data before starting.

This will also probably require re-activation, unless you have a Volume Licensed version of WinXP Pro installed. If it's been more than 120 days since you last activated that specific Product Key, you'll most likely be able to activate via the Internet without problem. If it's been less, you might have to make a 5 minute phone call.



I get to the point where my zonealarm firewall and avira start..
except my antivirus refuses to start. I say.. ok, perhaps something
has happened and I need to re-install the software. I download the
latest version directly from Avira and then attempt installation and
it says there are CRC errors and that files.dat is corrupt. Weird. So
I try AVG. Same problem. I am getting annoyed, so I switch back to the
old HD that has XP home on it, and get the exact same problem. The
only change on that HD was the graphics card... a pretty safe change-
over as they go.

So now I try everything.. I try to download the latest DirectX.. same
problem. I try using GetRight to download software... problem is the
same.

Now I test the memory with memtest, which ran fine on my old system.
It comes up with errors that didn't exist before, but my system seems
totally stable except from all installations failing. Even when
downloaded with GetRight.



Perhaps the sockets on the "new" motherboard are defective. More likely, though, the "new" motherboard isn't compatibile with the old RAM.

It is absolutely essential that any new RAM module(s) be fully
compatible with both the motherboard and/or any other RAM module(s)
already in the system. Additionally, there are sometimes jumper
switches on older motherboards that need to be reset for new RAM
configurations. Consult your motherboard's manual or the
manufacturer's web site for specific instructions and compatibility
requirements.

If you cannot lay your hands upon the computer's manual and the
manufacturer doesn't provide a support web site, you can use these
utilities to help determine the correct type of RAM needed:

SiSoft's Sandra
http://www.sisoftware.co.uk/index.php?dir=&location=sware_dl&lang=en

Belarc Advisor
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

Unlimited Possibilities' AIDA32
http://forum.aumha.org/overflow/aida32.zip

Also, Crucial Memory's web site (www.crucial.com) has a database
to help to find the right RAM for your specific make and model
computer and/or motherboard.


I format the new HD and try to install a fresh XP and for some bizarre
reason both my original and my back-up copies get through part of the
installation and then files cannot be read from the disc. Randomly,
most of the time the reading-errors are on completely different files
each time i try to install.



Problems copying files or corrupted files during installation are most often caused by defective, incompatible, or sub-standard hardware; in order of likelihood, either RAM, the hard drive, or the motherboard. It'll most likely be the same component that caused your other problems.


--
Bruce Chambers

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